Homecoming
by BenAddict Holmes
Summary: For L, it had been the most challenging case of his career. For Sherlock, it had been his last case. After what seemed like an endlessly long day, it was finally time to go back home. Sherlock and Death Note crossover which takes place after The Abominable Bride and after the Higuchi Kira is apprehended in the anime universe. No pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: Why am I posting another Sherlock crossover instead of updating Dreaming With a Broken Heart? I wish I knew. Anyway, I've been reading a lot of Death Note fanfics and I simply love them. I hope you enjoy this one! Many thanks to Rohan for brainstorming with me during the odd hours of the night and letting me bounce my ideas off him.**

 **Here goes!**

 **Disclaimer: Not mine. If it were, L wouldn't have died.**

 **Listen to: How to Disappear Completely by Radiohead.**

He watched, quiet and unseen, as the girl in front of him dug frantically at the ground beneath a tall oak tree. After months of assigning probabilities to Misa Amane and Light Yagami's likelihood of being Kira, it had finally shot up to 100%. Here was his proof of Misa's, and by extension Light's guilt. They were the first and second Kira like he had always believed but never been able to prove. Beside him, Aizawa was quiet, his hands gripping the small video camera hard, till his knuckles turned white.

Misa let out a jubilant yell as she delivered the Death Note from the freshly dug earth. Ryuk appeared almost immediately and she burst into giggles, continuing with her jargon about how she and Light were finally free and how wonderful it was that Light had regained his memories of being Kira, completely oblivious to the warning looks Ryuk sent her way.

Well, it was a confession as good as any, and L decided to finally step out of the shadows. He had his proof after months of toiling. He felt a familiar grim satisfaction when the thrill of the chase came to an end.

Her extravagant reaction when he revealed his presence was almost comical. She was so different from Light, always so expressive in contrast to Light's guarded mask. She gasped and spluttered, her eyes unbelievably wide, like a deer caught in headlights. Her whole body trembled, shrinking slightly as she realised her folly.

"It's over, Misa-san." he remarked, prising the Death Note away from her pale hands and handing it to Aizawa, who shut his video camera with a snap.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You don't have enough proof to arrest Light" said Misa weakly. She made a pitiable figure, her makeup spoiled by her incessant crying.

"You're right, we don't. Light could easily brush your outburst away as one of your idiosyncrasies, but Misa-san, now we both know that Light-kun is undoubtedly Kira, it is unwise to keep up the pretense, at least with the Task Force. Your admission might not be enough to prosecute Light, but it is more than enough to have you executed immediately" he said in a monotone, not betraying his eagerness to wrap up the case.

"But Misa refuses to help! She would willingly die for Light if she has to!"

"Let me remind you Misa-san, that now that we know that he's guilty, we'll find a way to make him confess and execute him without a trial. Would you want that, Misa-san? Or would you rather co-operate with us, giving you both the chance to live? Choose quickly, Misa-san, and choose well. What is it going to be? Life or Death?"

He watched her conflicting expression as she debated with herself, and finally gave a resigned nod.

"Life."

"Good. Now listen to what you have to do."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

L stopped mid-sentence as soon as he saw Watari's signal of a master delete. This was the difficult part, he knew. The lights went off, casting everything into dubious shadows, illuminated only by the glaring white of the screen saying 'All data deletion' and the blazing red emergency lights. There was a pin drop silence, broken only by Matsuda's yell of "W-what's happening? Where's the Shinigami?!"

Everyone, noticing at once that Rem was gone, started looking at each other with confusion and panic in their eyes. Matsuda looked terrified and even Chief had lost his composure. Light looked just as haggard, running his hands through his hair.

L, taking a deep breath, said "I had instructed Watari to delete all the data if anything were to happen to him. It seems that the shinigami has turned against us. We need to act quickly if we are to avoid being killed as well,". It was time for the moment of truth.

"We need to find that thing before it does anything else!" Aizawa yelled and they all rushed to the door, determined to find the missing Shinigami.

"Light, stay here, I need you to help me to try rebooting the cameras."

"But, Ryuzaki, Shinigami can't be caught on camera!" Light said, shaking his head, "It's not going to help!"

The footsteps of the Task Force members disappeared and it was only the two of them, basked in the eerie red light. It was now or never.

"I know, but we don't have any-" Time.

That's when time stopped.

 **A/n: Bwahahaha. A cliffhanger!**

 **Please leave a review.**

 **If inconvenient, leave a review all the same.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **-Adi xoxoxoxo**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/n: Yay chapter two. I'm trying to finish the story whenever I can, so I don't forget what I've planned, like I did with Dreaming with a Broken Heart :(**

 **Anyway, here's chapter 2! Once again, many thanks to Rohan!**

 **Listen to: The 59 Sound by The Gaslight Anthem.**

For the first time in his life, L was this afraid. Though he had been counting on this moment to finally bring the case to a close, he realized he had horribly underestimated the gravity of the situation. As he stared at Light's mask-like face, he felt completely at the younger boy's mercy. L's eyes were wide and his mouth was partially open, as he fell off his chair and crashed to the floor, acutely aware of the pain that shot up his shoulder on its impact with the hard ground. Having no idea how a heart attack felt like, he kept his expression as shocked as he possibly could, praying to a god he knew didn't exist and hoping all those videos of Kira's victims he had seen would be enough to go through the act convincingly enough for Light.

"Ryuzaki!" yelled Light, rushing to his side and kneeling next to him.

Light looked eerily sinister in the glaring red light, the glint in his eyes betraying his carefully guarded features. He really looked like Kira then, and if L had had any doubts about his identity, they were dispelled right there.

And then Light's lips curved upwards into a smile.

It was unnatural and ugly and it made L's skin crawl. Here it was, being recorded on camera. The confession would come any moment now, he knew. Light Yagami, the young boy who thought he had outsmarted the greatest detective in the world would never miss an opportunity to gloat. That was the thing about genius criminals, they loved to brag.

"Where do we go from here, Ryuzaki?" muttered Light, shaking his head.

L could only gape at him as he suddenly burst into laughter, not loud enough that the Task Force would hear him but loud enough that it rang through L's ears.

"From ashes to ashes, from dust to dust. Sigh, what a mundane death for a person as extraordinary as you. I admit, besting you took up almost all of my time, but it was completely worth it, if only for this moment. I win, L. I win. I want you to die with the knowledge that you lost to me, the God of the New World!"

He laughed manically again.

"It is a pity you have to die, Ryuzaki, but you left me with no choice. I had begun to enjoy our little games towards the end. The handcuffs were a nice touch. Too bad, it was all for naught. You should know how easy it is to manipulate someone when they're madly in love, be it Misa or her meddlesome shinigami. I have to admit, even I am a little surprised at how well this worked out. The only opponent to a Golden New World, dead and gone!"

At that moment, the footsteps of the Task Force thundered across the corridor and Light's mask was up again in a jiffy.

"Ryuzaki!" Light yelled, grabbing L's shoulders as Aizawa and Mogi came thundering into the room followed by Matsuda and Chief Yagami.

"He, he just collapsed!"

"Oh my God, not Ryuzaki too!"

Chief Yagami looked at his phone, "The ambulance has arrived downstairs, take him to the hospital!" the Chief shouted and L felt himself being lifted by Aizawa and carried into an ambulance. Once inside, he let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Watari put an arm around his shoulders and nodded grimly as the ambulance drove off. "It's over."

xxxxxxxxx

Hours later, L watched as the Task Force watched the clip with Light's confession over and over again. It was irresolute proof of his guilt and left no room for doubt. Matsuda was trembling. The chief's mouth was set in a line. Mogi looked resigned. Aizawa lingered in a corner, with his head bowed, all of them called at L's secondary place of retreat.

"Light is Kira, after all. You were right" said the Chief finally, his voice cracking slightly, looking at L, who chose to stay silent.

"Yes he is" said Matsuda faintly, more to himself than anyone else.

"What are we supposed to do now?' asked Mogi.

"Whatever you see fit" said Watari, finally breaking his silence.

Everyone looked startled at this.

"I'm sorry? Whatever we see fit?" asked the Chief, his dismay not quite concealing the hopeful tinge in his voice.

"Yes. Our job was to catch Kira and provide proof of his guilt. We have done what was asked of us. What happens next to Light-kun is not our concern. We play neither the role of judge nor jury. Officially the Task Force does not exist. If you do make the details of this case public, you will be forced to answer to Kira's numerous followers. If not, people will continue to believe in their false God, hopefully keeping the crime rates to a minimum" said Watari.

"I am sure you will take an appropriate decision, Chief Yagami. However, I must insist that the notebook be destroyed after Light-kun renounces its ownership. Also, Amane-san has been of invaluable help in getting the shinigami over to our side. She might be guilty of being the second Kira but a full pardon for her is essential or the shinigami won't hesitate to dispose of us. She has renounced her Death Note and it has been destroyed. She has no memories of the whole ordeal and is still completely devoted to Light-kun. Regarding Light-kun, what happens next is completely your decision. His notebook is already with us, to be destroyed soon. Misa-san has confessed that he has a piece of paper from the note hidden in his watch, which will need to be destroyed as well"

"You may decide to sentence him to a lifetime in prison, or to pardon him completely. After all, he is an intelligent young man and a bright future awaits him. However, I would strongly recommend that you keep the truth about my death from him. I have no wish to endanger my life any further."

"Watari and I will be flying back to London tomorrow. Should you ever need to contact me again, you may. Till then, allow me to take your leave. It has been a pleasure working with you, gentlemen" said L, finally getting up and leaving behind four astounded policemen.

xxxxxx

12 hours later, a chartered plane landed at Heathrow airport and a tousled haired young man emerged, no longer hunching but standing tall, dressed in a blue jumper, dark jeans and a leather jacket, in contrast to the thin white t-shirts and baggy jeans he had worn for almost six months. Behind him, an elderly man placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. He had left behind the pinstriped suit and the horn-rimmed glasses and wore a maroon bowtie and warm brown cardigan, making him look like a benevolent grandfather rather than the caretaker of the world's most famous detective.

The young man smiled widely in what seemed like months, the cold English air playing through his unruly hair, carrying away all the worries of the past few months. The only sound in the entire hangar was the clicking noise his pen made as he fiddled with it, opening and closing its cap, excited to meet his family after such a long time.

"It's been a long time, Father"

"Welcome back, Son"

Lawliet grinned.

 **A/n: Please review!**

 **-Aditi xoxoxo**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n: Chapter 3, folks! 2 more to go. Thank you, Rohan for being a fantastic beta.**

Reclining at the back of the speeding car, Lawliet watched as the tall buildings of urban London sped away in a blur. His hands were still fiddling with his pen, albeit much more furiously. His face, as calm and impassive as always, betrayed none of his inner turmoil.

He had really been looking forward to a long and peaceful holiday, and after the insanity of the Kira case, he would say it was well deserved. At least his father had been able to come home for Christmas Eve, if only for the family dinner and distribution of presents to the children at Wammy's House. Lawliet had been home for all of ten minutes before running out of the house as another massive problem demanded his attention.

He groaned as the car halted at another red signal and buried his face in his hands. Everything in the universe had seemingly rearranged itself to cause him inconvenience at every step. Severe jet lag and sleep deprivation was a terrible combination for him. Throw in hypoglycaemic and you might as well have a full fledged irritated monster on your hands.

Thankfully the signal turned green almost immediately. The car slid to a halt in front of an old tall hospital building and he sprang out, running through the crowd of people to the reception. Bounding in the direction the receptionist pointed, towards the morgue, while noting location of the pathology office on his way, he found the person he was seeking just where she said he would.

"Miss Hooper!"

Big brown bloodshot eyes stared at him from behind large goggles. The concerned person was in the midst of an autopsy, with her hands buried deep in the subject's corpse.

Fighting back a sudden wave of nausea, he said, "Time is of essence, Miss Hooper! Join me in the office as soon as possible" and took off in the direction of the pathology office, glad to leave behind the stench of formalin and death.

A few minutes later, the petite brunette joined him, only to find him working on her laptop, fingers flying across the keys. It was obvious that she had been crying. Her general demeanour screamed helplessness and defeat, and her eyes looked so tired, it seemed she would like nothing more than to fall asleep where she was.

'You and me both, Molly Hooper' he thought to himself.

"How did you get past the- never mind" she sighed, silenced by the appraising look that was all too familiar to her by now. "Who are you anyway?" she asked, staring at the strange man in the leather jacket, crouched at her desk. She was absolutely certain she had never seen him before and yet everything about him was strangely familiar.

"There is no time to spare on introductions. We need to bring him back, don't we?"

"W-What? How? Is it really possible?" she stammered, not quite able to contain her excitement.

"Everything is possible with the right resources. Now I only have a vague idea about what happened a few years ago, having been away on a case myself. But if there's one person that could singlehandedly throw the nation into a state of panic, it would be the notorious consulting criminal, am I right?" said Lawliet.

"Yes. Yes, of course. Everyone knows the truth now, including what he's capable of" said Molly, averting her gaze, cheeks flushing. Lawliet's eyes narrowed slightly but he said nothing.

"But, but he's dead, isn't he?" said Molly, suddenly afraid of the stranger in front of her.

"Quite so. But not for long. And the only person who can effectively stop him is Sherlock Holmes" he continued, breaking her out of her reverie.

"A-absolutely. Yes. Nobody else would stand a chance" said Molly, nodding her agreement, wondering where this was going.

Lawliet leaned back in the chair, staring at the screen, joined palms resting below his chin and suddenly the puzzle pieces of why he looked so familiar fell into place. His solemn expression morphed into a manic grin so suddenly that she was startled.

"Here's what we're going to do, Molly Hooper."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

CLICK.

It had taken all of thirty minutes to set up the broadcast. Molly came back to the office with a satisfied mischievous grin, which looked refreshingly pleasant compared to her tearful expression from earlier.

"They all show the same message; every screen in the hospital, even the billboards outside. You did it!" she said gleefully.

"We did it, Miss Hooper. I am afraid I must leave now. It has been a pleasure meeting you. I do hope we'll meet under more favorable circumstances the next time" said Lawliet, extending his hand.

"Of course" she said, shaking his hand and smiling again.

Just as he was at the door, she spoke again.

"You're him, aren't you? Sherlock's younger brother. Lawliet, I think was the name?" she said hesitantly.

Taken aback, he stared at the young pathologist. He had known how deeply she had cared for his brother and how Sherlock had always trusted her, in her professional as well as personal judgement. But Sherlock had never mentioned how perceptive the woman was. She was smiling slightly and with a pang Lawliet realised that he would give anything to see a similar expression on his mother's face. When he had seen Mummy that morning, she looked like she had aged ten years. Her face had betrayed such a palpable grief that his words had been lost in his throat. She had finally broken down at the sight of her third son, who had returned home just when his older brother had been sent to his death.

"What gave it away, Miss Hooper?" he asked cautiously.

She snorted.

"If nothing else, the Miss Hooper would've been enough. It's Doctor Hooper, as I keep telling your brothers." She said, shaking her head.

He waited for her to continue.

"It was just this thing that Sherlock mentioned when he was under the influence of the drugs which he insisted were for a case. John said he looked terrible and Sherlock snorted, remarking that even at his worst, he still looked better than his brother Lawliet. John was furious so he didn't think much about it but I remembered.

Lawliet, just bring him back will you? Bring him back to us. He belongs here, in London, not on some goddamned plane to some place, from where he might not even return" she said, choking up towards the end.

Lawliet laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"If this doesn't work, I don't know what will, Dr. Hooper. Sherlock will be back with us very soon" he said.

Just then, the blare of his phone ringing interrupted the comfortable silence.

"Yes, father. Go on...He did what?! .. Oh.. All right. Take care of Mummy. See you soon."

"Guess what?" he said to Molly. "My dear brother is on his way to Bart's."

 **A/n: afhdgzjcbkzhf he's the third brother!**

 **Hope you like the twist.**

 **Please review!**

 **Aditi xoxoxox**


End file.
